Sachi, a new restaurant which celebrates Japanese food, culture and design opened today in Pantechnicon.
Sachi translates as “happiness” in Japanese and that is the focus of the food. The menu has been crafted by Head Chef Collin Hudston (Dinings, Roka) and Pantechnicon’s Executive Chef Chris Golding (Nobu, Zuma, Dinings).
The duo is joined by general manager Lorenzo Cannavina, a fluent Japanese speaker who spent many years living in the country.
Barry Hirst, co-founder and Director of Pantechnicon said: “My vision for Sachi is to be an unexpected discovery in the heart of London. A place to meet, eat and celebrate life that’s completely inclusive. I wanted to create a space of comfort and calm whilst maintaining energy and intrigue. The design reflects the culinary offering, with spaces that are honest, authentic and approachable, which celebrate the materials and
craftsmanship that brings them together.”
The menu showcases dishes inspired by delicacies in Hokkaido, Osaka and Fukuoka and features seasonal, local ingredients such as, Japanese Greens grown in Sussex, meat from British farms, trout organically reared in Scotland and wasabi produced in the UK.
Designed for sharing, standout dishes include Hotate no chōri – scallops, artichoke, and yuzu with fermented grains; Suzuki Usuzukuri – a delicate combination of seabass, lava salt, sea and buckthorn and Robusutā Nama Harumaki – lobster, kohlrabi and cucumber with mugi miso. While hot dishes include Butaniku – succulent pork belly and barley miso with radish and Toriniku – chicken, kanzuri, shio koji.
Across Sachi’s 130 covers, guests can choose from central tables, hidden noren-covered booths or a private room.
The restaurant also features elements of Japanese garden design by DEIK, a London-based studio by Susumu Shioya which utilises the Japanese notion of ‘wa’ or ‘harmony’.
The furniture has been created by Karimoku Case Study, a collaboration between Japanese furniture maker Karimoku and Copenhagen-based Norm Architects.
A specially commissioned installation of plants and flowers by Japanese creative director Satoshi Kawamoto will be unveiled today to welcome guests at the entrance of the restaurant.
The ceramics, cutlery, chopsticks, and wooden bowls are all handcrafted across Japan by specialist workshops.
These include Matsukan which has been making chopsticks since 1922, Gato Mikio, a 100-year-old woodworking house and 1616/arita, which uses techniques that have been used for over 400 years to make its ceramics.
For the uniforms, denim aprons were commissioned from CUMO in the birthplace of Japanese denim.
The Sachi team will also wear indigo shirts handmade by Kyoya, a traditional dyehouse operating for over 100 years in Tohoku northern Japan.
Pantechnicon fuses Nordic and Japanese creativity and craftsmanship in London, housing two Japanese and Nordic design shops, the UK’s first Café Kitsuné, a roof garden bar and winter terrace, a Nordic bar and restaurant – Eldr (meaning ‘fire’ in Old Norse), and Sakaya – a micro-bar and bottle shop.